Sunday, June 07, 2009

Israelimarchblogging

Among the thousands of protesters marching through all four lanes of Ibn Gvirol St. - one of the city's main streets - was a lively, energetic radical anarchist block, 150-people strong, which included a large samba band. The block's chants for freedom and solidarity in the face of the Zionist war-machine echoed throughout the two kilometers from Rabin Square to the Cinemateque. The block's chants for freedom and solidarity in the face of the Zionist war machine echoed throughout the two kilometers from Rabin Square to the Cinemateque.

The march was besieged on both sides by counter-demonstrators and frantic right-wingers chanting racist taunts and waving Israeli flags (which at times, and rather symbolically, were also used by them as clubs). The march was on both sides Besieged by counter-demonstrator and right-wings frantic chanting racist taunts and Waving Israeli flags (which at times, and rather symbolically, were also used by them as clubs). Scuffles broke out repeatedly, with police seeming not-too-keen on protecting peaceful protesters from nationalist violence (at least one protester was admitted to the hospital after being injured in an attack). Scuffles broke out repeatedly, with the police seeming not-too-keen on protecting peaceful protesters from nationalist violence (at least one protests was admitted to the hospital after being injured in an attack). Even the clearly-political arrest of our 21 anarchist comrades the day before did not manage to dampen our spirits, and we raised our voices loud and clear.

We marched behind the band, whose name as I understand it is Kassamba (referring to Kassam rockets and Samba), many of whom we'd seen at an anarchist vegan bar where we ate for lunch earlier in the day.

Anyway, the scene was similar to what's described above, and not too dissimilar to any march in the US. Your usual coalition of vaguely-related organizations and causes, communists, anarchists, whatnot. Signs. Chants. Theater.

What was missing: several thousand protesters; counter-protesters. It was a decent turnout, though smaller than any of us would've preferred. A healthy police presence, nobody yelling back or scuffling with us. Seems a similar arc to what we saw regarding the Iraq war.